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1. What was proposedJames MilliganLiberal · Opposition
   Read the original wording (440 words)

   That this Assembly: (1) notes that: (a) there is a significant shortage of sporting facilities in the ACT; (b) this shortage is limiting growth options for clubs and grassroots sporting organisations; (c) isolated investments from the Government into sporting facilities have failed to keep pace with growing demand; (d) analysis from the Canberra Times has found that there is a geographical inequity in the spread of sporting facilities in the ACT, with Gungahlin and the Molonglo Valley generally missing out; (e) local governments across Australia in areas such as Hobsons Bay, Orange, Victoria Park and Freemantle have previously commissioned sporting facility needs analyses to better inform sporting infrastructure investment; and (f) comparable cities such as Newcastle, Wollongong and Geelong have provided certainty to their sporting communities by developing sporting facilities strategies; (2) further notes that in the public hearings on the Standing Committee on Economics, Industry and Recreation’s inquiry into barriers and opportunities for participation in community sports in the ACT, several groups expressed concerns about the trajectory of sporting investments, including: (a) committee members of the Yarabi Football Club who stated that “in our experience, sportsgrounds are uneven and unlevel, and have poor drainage”; (b) the President of Friends of Manuka Pool who stated that “I am deeply concerned that too many pools are closing, with little planning for our community’s future”; (c) the President of the Royals Volleyball club who stated that “indoor space, or the lack of indoor facilities, is not a new thought that is being offered. This is decades old”; (d) the President of Badminton ACT who stated that “all my clubs are bursting at the seams, at capacity. I cannot take new members”; (e) the President of Basketball ACT who stated that “having a long-term facility strategy on how we build, develop and plan around our sporting infrastructure is really critical for indoor sports”; and (f) the Executive Officer of the Community Sport Alliance who stated that “the whole purpose of having a facilities plan would be to give stakeholders some level of certainty about how we go about things”; and (3) calls on the Government to: (a) commission an independent audit of all sporting facilities in the Territory; (b) include in the terms of reference of the audit: (i) an assessment of whether existing facilities and assets are compliant with lease and planning requirements; (ii) an assessment of gaps and potential future gaps in current and planned ACT sporting facilities; and (iii) provide recommendations on upgrades to existing facilities that would close gaps identified within the audit; and (c) table the report in the Assembly by 15 December 2026. Debate ensued.

2. Proposed changeFiona CarrickIndependent · Crossbench4 February 2026

   Grouped by key words as: added a new call or point, changed a date or deadline, added reporting or consultation, added conditions.

   Before

   (3) calls on the Government to: (a) commission an independent audit of all sporting facilities in the Territory; (b) include in the terms of reference of the audit: (i) an assessment of whether existing facilities and assets are compliant with lease and planning requirements; (ii) an assessment of gaps and potential future gaps in current and planned ACT sporting facilities; and (iii) provide recommendations on upgrades to existing facilities that would close gaps identified within the audit; and (c) table the report in the Assembly by 15 December 2026. Debate ensued.

   After this change

   (3) calls on the ACT Government to: (a) commission an independent sport report to ensure the community has access to the facilities required to stay active; (b) specify in the terms of reference that the report must: (i) define the report’s objective to assess future demand and guide the ongoing supply, maintenance, and upgrade of sporting infrastructure, taking into account the current and future needs of the community; (ii) conduct a needs assessment to analyse community demand and identify gaps in existing facilities; (iii) engage with community members and sporting organisations to understand their needs and priorities; (iv) review trends and demographic data to inform evidence-based decision-making; (v) audit existing facilities to assess their condition, capacity, suitability and compliance with relevant lease and planning requirements; (vi) identify gaps in the provision of sporting infrastructure and recommend strategies for short, medium and longer term upgrades and new facilities to meet the needs of current and future users; and (vii) include clear criteria for selecting sites for new facilities; and (c) provide quarterly updates to the Assembly, with the final report to be tabled in the Assembly by 24 March 2027.

   The exact wording of this change

   Omit paragraph (3), substitute: “(3) calls on the ACT Government to: (a) commission an independent sport report to ensure the community has access to the facilities required to stay active; (b) specify in the terms of reference that the report must: (i) define the report’s objective to assess future demand and guide the ongoing supply, maintenance, and upgrade of sporting infrastructure, taking into account the current and future needs of the community; (ii) conduct a needs assessment to analyse community demand and identify gaps in existing facilities; (iii) engage with community members and sporting organisations to understand their needs and priorities; (iv) review trends and demographic data to inform evidence-based decision-making; (v) audit existing facilities to assess their condition, capacity, suitability and compliance with relevant lease and planning requirements; (vi) identify gaps in the provision of sporting infrastructure and recommend strategies for short, medium and longer term upgrades and new facilities to meet the needs of current and future users; and (vii) include clear criteria for selecting sites for new facilities; and (c) provide quarterly updates to the Assembly, with the final report to be tabled in the Assembly by 24 March 2027.”. Debate continued.

   Agreed on the voices. No individual votes were recorded. Its wording is in the final text.

3. What the Assembly decidedAgreed

   Decided on the voices: no individual votes were recorded, so this doesn’t show that every MLA agreed.

   Final agreed wording, with changes marked

   That this Assembly: (1) notes that: (a) there is a significant shortage of sporting facilities in the ACT; (b) this shortage is limiting growth options for clubs and grassroots sporting organisations; (c) isolated investments from the Government into sporting facilities have failed to keep pace with growing demand; (d) analysis from the Canberra Times has found that there is a geographical inequity in the spread of sporting facilities in the ACT, with Gungahlin and the Molonglo Valley generally missing out; (e) local governments across Australia in areas such as Hobsons Bay, Orange, Victoria Park and Freemantle have previously commissioned sporting facility needs analyses to better inform sporting infrastructure investment; and (f) comparable cities such as Newcastle, Wollongong and Geelong have provided certainty to their sporting communities by developing sporting facilities strategies; (2) further notes that in the public hearings on the Standing Committee on Economics, Industry and Recreation’s inquiry into barriers and opportunities for participation in community sports in the ACT, several groups expressed concerns about the trajectory of sporting investments, including: (a) committee members of the Yarabi Football Club who stated that ‘in our experience, sportsgrounds are uneven and unlevel, and have poor drainage’; (b) the President of Friends of Manuka Pool who stated that ‘I am deeply concerned that too many pools are closing, with little planning for our community’s future’; (c) the President of the Royals Volleyball club who stated that ‘indoor space, or the lack of indoor facilities, is not a new thought that is being offered. This is decades old’; (d) the President of Badminton ACT who stated that ‘all my clubs are bursting at the seams, at capacity. I cannot take new members’; (e) the President of Basketball ACT who stated that ‘having a long-term facility strategy on how we build, develop and plan around our sporting infrastructure is really critical for indoor sports’; and (f) the Executive Officer of the Community Sport Alliance who stated that ‘the whole purpose of having a facilities plan would be to give stakeholders some level of certainty about how we go about things’; and (3) calls on the ACT Government to: (a) commission an independent sport report to ensure the community has access to the facilities required to stay active; (b) specify in the terms of reference that the report must: (i) define the report’s objective to assess future demand and guide the ongoing supply, maintenance, and upgrade of sporting infrastructure, taking into account the current and future needs of the community; (ii) conduct a needs assessment to analyse community demand and identify gaps in existing facilities; (iii) engage with community members and sporting organisations to understand their needs and priorities; (iv) review trends and demographic data to inform evidence-based decision-making; (v) audit existing facilities to assess their condition, capacity, suitability and compliance with relevant lease and planning requirements; (vi) identify gaps in the provision of sporting infrastructure and recommend strategies for short, medium and longer term upgrades and new facilities to meet the needs of current and future users; and (vii) include clear criteria for selecting sites for new facilities; and (c) provide quarterly updates to the Assembly, with the final report to be tabled in the Assembly by 24 March 2027Carrick.

   Original and final wording compared

   taken out put in

   That this Assembly: (1) notes that: (a) there is a significant shortage of sporting facilities in the ACT; (b) this shortage is limiting growth options for clubs and grassroots sporting organisations; (c) isolated investments from the Government into sporting facilities have failed to keep pace with growing demand; (d) analysis from the Canberra Times has found that there is a geographical inequity in the spread of sporting facilities in the ACT, with Gungahlin and the Molonglo Valley generally missing out; (e) local governments across Australia in areas such as Hobsons Bay, Orange, Victoria Park and Freemantle have previously commissioned sporting facility needs analyses to better inform sporting infrastructure investment; and (f) comparable cities such as Newcastle, Wollongong and Geelong have provided certainty to their sporting communities by developing sporting facilities strategies; (2) further notes that in the public hearings on the Standing Committee on Economics, Industry and Recreation’s inquiry into barriers and opportunities for participation in community sports in the ACT, several groups expressed concerns about the trajectory of sporting investments, including: (a) committee members of the Yarabi Football Club who stated that ‘in our experience, sportsgrounds are uneven and unlevel, and have poor drainage’; (b) the President of Friends of Manuka Pool who stated that ‘I am deeply concerned that too many pools are closing, with little planning for our community’s future’; (c) the President of the Royals Volleyball club who stated that ‘indoor space, or the lack of indoor facilities, is not a new thought that is being offered. This is decades old’; (d) the President of Badminton ACT who stated that ‘all my clubs are bursting at the seams, at capacity. I cannot take new members’; (e) the President of Basketball ACT who stated that ‘having a long-term facility strategy on how we build, develop and plan around our sporting infrastructure is really critical for indoor sports’; and (f) the Executive Officer of the Community Sport Alliance who stated that ‘the whole purpose of having a facilities plan would be to give stakeholders some level of certainty about how we go about things’; and (3) calls on the [put in: ACT]Government to: (a) commission an independent [taken out: audit of all sporting facilities in][put in: sport report to ensure]the [taken out: Territory;][put in: community has access to the facilities required to stay active;](b) [taken out: include][put in: specify]in the terms of reference [taken out: of][put in: that]the [taken out: audit:][put in: report must:](i) [taken out: an assessment][put in: define the report’s objective to assess future demand and guide the ongoing supply, maintenance, and upgrade]of [taken out: whether][put in: sporting infrastructure, taking into account the current and future needs of the community; (ii) conduct a needs assessment to analyse community demand and identify gaps in]existing facilities; [put in: (iii) engage with community members]and [taken out: assets are compliant][put in: sporting organisations to understand their needs and priorities; (iv) review trends and demographic data to inform evidence-based decision-making; (v) audit existing facilities to assess their condition, capacity, suitability and compliance]with [put in: relevant]lease and planning requirements; [taken out: (ii) an assessment of gaps and potential future][put in: (vi) identify]gaps in [taken out: current and planned ACT][put in: the provision of]sporting [taken out: facilities;][put in: infrastructure]and [taken out: (iii) provide recommendations on][put in: recommend strategies for short, medium and longer term]upgrades [taken out: to existing][put in: and new]facilities [taken out: that would close gaps identified within][put in: to meet]the [taken out: audit;][put in: needs of current]and [put in: future users; and (vii) include clear criteria for selecting sites for new facilities; and](c) [taken out: table][put in: provide quarterly updates to]the [put in: Assembly, with the final]report [put in: to be tabled]in the Assembly by [taken out: 15 December 2026. Debate ensued.][put in: 24 March 2027.]

   Compared word by word by computer, ignoring punctuation. It shows what differs, not which change made each difference; the steps above show that.